|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#21
|
|||
|
|||
Can you make it to the market on a bike?
On Jul 23, 2:33 pm, "Edward Dolan" wrote:
"archierob" wrote in message ... Well done! One only has to read Bill Bryson's book 'Notes from a Big Country' to realise just how pervasive the automobile is in America. Trying to get anywhere other than by car is difficult - even crossing over the road from his hotel to a diner. The one anecdote that made me howl with laughter was when he returned to the US for a while and invited his neighbours to dinner -they came by car! They drove down their drive, turned left and then drove up his drive. The thing that amazes me the most is that in small town America everyone drives everywhere, even if it is only a few blocks. No wonder we are all turning into fat slobs. I will NEVER drive my car in town. I use it strictly for going to other towns in the vicinity. You can go anywhere in this town of Worthington, Minnesota (12,000 pop.) in 15 minutes by bicycle at the most. Why the hell would anyone except an idiot want to drive these very small distances. And yet, EVERYONE does! [...] The word "idiots" explains everything. Thanks! |
Ads |
#22
|
|||
|
|||
It's the speed differential
"donquijote1954" wrote in message oups.com... On Jul 23, 1:04 pm, Martin Dann wrote: donquijote1954 wrote: On Jul 23, 12:29 pm, Jens Müller wrote: donquijote1954 wrote: Why do you think that bike lanes are safer than the carriageway? And why do you think the carriageway isn't safe? Because the SPEED DIFFERENTIAL is too great... Why is speed differential important? A speed differential above 20 miles per hour begins to present safety concerns. When the speed differential approaches 30 to 35 miles per hour, the likelihood of a collision between fast-moving through vehicles and turning vehicles increases very quickly. At that speed, you don't have turning vehicles, only vehicles changing lanes. You are going 12mph on the bike, and a car is coming behind you at 50mph. Would that be safe? It is as safe as the person driving the car, and the way they overtake you. If the driver is unsafe overtaking a 12mph bike, then that driver will also be unsafe in a lot of other places, and should not be driving. Remember that car drivers should be able to stop in the distance that they can see.- That's the problem here, many people shouldn't be driving. It should be the opposite: EVERYBODY SHOULD RIDE A BIKE and not a car. That is like saying everyone should take a steamship to Europe, and not fly because you think they should. |
#23
|
|||
|
|||
Can you make it to the market on a bike?
"donquijote1954" wrote in message ups.com... On Jul 23, 2:33 pm, "Edward Dolan" wrote: "archierob" wrote in message ... Well done! One only has to read Bill Bryson's book 'Notes from a Big Country' to realise just how pervasive the automobile is in America. Trying to get anywhere other than by car is difficult - even crossing over the road from his hotel to a diner. The one anecdote that made me howl with laughter was when he returned to the US for a while and invited his neighbours to dinner -they came by car! They drove down their drive, turned left and then drove up his drive. The thing that amazes me the most is that in small town America everyone drives everywhere, even if it is only a few blocks. No wonder we are all turning into fat slobs. I will NEVER drive my car in town. I use it strictly for going to other towns in the vicinity. You can go anywhere in this town of Worthington, Minnesota (12,000 pop.) in 15 minutes by bicycle at the most. Why the hell would anyone except an idiot want to drive these very small distances. And yet, EVERYONE does! [...] The word "idiots" explains everything. Thanks! One of my very favorite words that I use all the time in referring to my contemporaries, but not necessarily to their faces. After all, a broken nose is no fun. By the way, I love your user name and I thought at one time of using it myself as I am sort of a Don Quixote character who is always tilting at windmills (to no avail). Best Regards, Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota aka Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota |
#24
|
|||
|
|||
Can you make it to the market on a bike?
"Jens Müller" wrote in message ... Edward Dolan wrote: Always use the bike paths whenever you can. They are much more pleasant than using the mean streets where you have to compete with motorized vehicles. Always avoid bike paths when it is legally possible. It is much safer that way. Admittedly a bike path that gets too crowded can be somewhat dangerous, yet you are not going to get killed on it unless you do something really stupid. On the other hand, it is easy to get killed on the street when you mixing with motor vehicles. They are all going fast and you are going slow, a recipe for disaster. Regards, Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota aka Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota |
#25
|
|||
|
|||
Can you make it to the market on a bike?
I also bought a scooter (moped) as a toy, but I take it for errands as often
as possible. I do ride it to work, and do not end up sweaty. My wife and I still ride our recumbents for entertainment and exercise (especially cardiac), but the moped is good for other things. I get close to 150mpg, so I feel pretty good buying one gallon of gas at a time. A word about traffic. I take side streets on both the bicycle and moped. Sometimes that is impossible, but generally there will be streets with very little traffic yet getting where you need to be. Happy trails! "donquijote1954" wrote in message ps.com... Well, I thought I'd never live long enough to do such a thing in America. It keeps me fit, and hungry enough to enjoy all that great (and not so great) food, as well as keeps me away from the crowd that uses an SUV to go and get a gallon of milk --or worse, cigarettes. Luckily in my new place I can do such a thing, if not by design by chance. I can ride leisurely my cruiser with huge baskets to the supermaket through some quiet, safe streets, about 0.7 mile. I bet most American are not so lucky, and I don't think the share of bicycle use for shopping and similar real life errands is any higher than the percentage that commutes by bike, about 1% or so, right? Regrettably, my happiness ends at this point as going any further places me right on major roads, where the major predators rule. And that's a jungle that makes me nervous. Great places are within biking distance, up to 15 miles, along parks, beaches and scenic places, but NO BIKE LANES are provided, and I just play it safe. As a matter of fact the need to enjoy all this made me found another way to get out there in the open air without being at the very bottom of the food chain. So I just got a scooter that allows me to drive with traffic, if not strictly pollution free, at least rewarding me with a good 80MPG. So this is my modest effort to fight Global Warming, and I hope I live long enough in these Darwinian roads to tell my offspring. And now off I go with my bike (buying nothing in particular, just going to the market for the hell of it)... WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE http://webspawner.com/users/donquijote BIKE FOR PEACE http://webspawner.com/users/bikeforpeace |
#26
|
|||
|
|||
Can you make it to the market on a bike?
On Jul 23, 3:58 pm, "Edward Dolan" wrote:
The word "idiots" explains everything. Thanks! One of my very favorite words that I use all the time in referring to my contemporaries, but not necessarily to their faces. After all, a broken nose is no fun. By the way, I love your user name and I thought at one time of using it myself as I am sort of a Don Quixote character who is always tilting at windmills (to no avail). Maybe we can attack the stupid windmills on two fronts and... Speaking of stupid people out there. My girlfriend just reports to me via telephone that a man who was cut off by a car threw the bike and started pounding the hood of the car. Didn't see the end of it. Probably the cyclist went to jail. |
#27
|
|||
|
|||
SUV vs. Scooter
On Jul 23, 5:15 pm, "Michael Plog" wrote:
I also bought a scooter (moped) as a toy, but I take it for errands as often as possible. I do ride it to work, and do not end up sweaty. My wife and I still ride our recumbents for entertainment and exercise (especially cardiac), but the moped is good for other things. I get close to 150mpg, so I feel pretty good buying one gallon of gas at a time. Wow, that mileage sure sounds high. Are you sure? A word about traffic. I take side streets on both the bicycle and moped. Sometimes that is impossible, but generally there will be streets with very little traffic yet getting where you need to be. You are being smart. The big predators are out there... SUV vs. Scooter "Dedicated to all those injured, mutilated or killed by the Hen and her SUV." I've always wondered what would happen in an accident between SUV an Scooter. It's not so simple. The SUV being so high could totally miss the scooter. Well, I guess this SUV wasn't high enough... Preventing Motorcycle, Scooter Accidents a Matter of Awareness By Ryan Taylor - 17 Jul 2007 In March a BYU student, driving a scooter died of injuries suffered in an accident with an SUV. Adam Cox was riding in the outside lane of University Parkway just behind a car that was driving in the inside lane when an SUV going the opposite direction, turned left and hit Cox, said Capt. Michael Harroun, of the BYU Police Department. Just like Cox's case, most motorcyclists are not at fault when accidents happened, Harroun said. "But they will get the worst of it," he said. Even though Cox was wearing a helmet, he suffered severe head trauma and died after being taken to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center. http://newsnet.byu.edu/story.cfm/64865 And remember, you SUV drivers, your distraction can spoil someone's life. Well, I don't mean to offend you, just try not to talk so much on the phone, and if you do, do like the Hen... http://www.thehenshouse.com/index.html DON QUIXOTES OF THE ENVIRONMENT http://webspawner.com/users/donquijote6 |
#28
|
|||
|
|||
Can you make it to the market on a bike?
Edward Dolan wrote:
"Jens Müller" wrote in message ... Edward Dolan wrote: Always use the bike paths whenever you can. They are much more pleasant than using the mean streets where you have to compete with motorized vehicles. Always avoid bike paths when it is legally possible. It is much safer that way. Admittedly a bike path that gets too crowded can be somewhat dangerous, yet you are not going to get killed on it unless you do something really stupid. On the other hand, it is easy to get killed on the street when you mixing with motor vehicles. They are all going fast and you are going slow, a recipe for disaster. How can they go fast when they are on the same lane as me? They can overtake, but then they are on another lane. How many people get killed with bikes on the carriageway each year? Here in Germany, you can count them on one hand. But there are dozens getting killed by turning cars whose drivers don't look at the bike path. Do you have statistical data that would support your last sentence? |
#29
|
|||
|
|||
Can you make it to the market on a bike?
"Jens Müller" wrote in message ... Edward Dolan wrote: "Jens Müller" wrote in message ... Edward Dolan wrote: How many people get killed with bikes on the carriageway each year? Here in Germany, you can count them on one hand. But there are dozens getting killed by turning cars whose drivers don't look at the bike path. In the US bikes and pedestrians have the highest death rates of all forms of transportation except motorcycles. I think the rate is two and times higher than cars according to a recent news report. I have not tried to find the statistics. |
#30
|
|||
|
|||
Can you make it to the market on a bike?
On Jul 23, 7:12 pm, Jens Müller wrote:
Edward Dolan wrote: "Jens Müller" wrote in message ... Edward Dolan wrote: Always use the bike paths whenever you can. They are much more pleasant than using the mean streets where you have to compete with motorized vehicles. Always avoid bike paths when it is legally possible. It is much safer that way. Admittedly a bike path that gets too crowded can be somewhat dangerous, yet you are not going to get killed on it unless you do something really stupid. On the other hand, it is easy to get killed on the street when you mixing with motor vehicles. They are all going fast and you are going slow, a recipe for disaster. How can they go fast when they are on the same lane as me? They can overtake, but then they are on another lane. Well, they can make a mistake when they are on the phone or something and you get run over. And you'll be lucky if they stop. Hit-and-runs are way too common. How many people get killed with bikes on the carriageway each year? Here in Germany, you can count them on one hand. But there are dozens getting killed by turning cars whose drivers don't look at the bike path. Not many people dare to face fast traffic. People here not just fail to see bikers, they fail to see cars and other major obstacles when they are distracted. |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Are there any bike alarms on the market? | Bruce W.1 | Techniques | 7 | May 3rd 07 06:29 AM |
Make your neighbor cry and hug you: fix their bike! | landotter | General | 12 | January 19th 07 10:41 PM |
How to make my bike faster! | Big Al | Techniques | 50 | May 2nd 06 11:35 PM |
FA GT Time Trial Bike - Dura Ace - Vision Tech - 1 of the most aero diamond frames on the market - ending soon | Mac | Marketplace | 0 | January 3rd 05 07:11 PM |
What make bike was this? 'Bent? | Tenex | UK | 6 | July 19th 03 06:47 PM |